by Gwen Exner and Holly Mabry, NCknows Online Reference Librarians Part of the NCLA's RASS/DLIG "Current Trends in Reference" online conference March 14, 2013

1. Gwen Exner and Holly Mabry
NCknows Online Reference Librarians
Bringing the Library to Your Living Room
3/19/2013

2. What is virtual reference?
“Virtual reference is a reference service initiated
electronically where patrons employ computers or
other technology to communicate with public
services staff without being physically present.”
RUSA Guidelines for Implementing and Maintaining Virtual
3/19/2013
Reference Services: http://bit.ly/zn6MM0

3. What is virtual reference?
Communication channels used frequently in virtual
reference include:
 Chat
 Videoconferencing
 Voice-over-IP
 Co-browsing
 E-mail
 Instant messaging.
RUSA Guidelines for Implementing and Maintaining Virtual
3/19/2013
Reference Services: http://bit.ly/zn6MM0

4. Technology Requirements
All types of virtual reference will require at least:
 one computer,
 one staff member, and
 access to online reference materials
There are a wide variety of software and web client
options, depending on what sort of virtual reference
you’re offering.
3/19/2013

5. Common Software Options
Paid Optional Fee Free
QuestionPoint Facebook ChiliFresh
LibraryH3lp Twitter Zoho Chat
LibChat Trillian Digsby
Mosio Skype Pidgin
RefChatter Google Talk
Second Life
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6. Real-time Asynchronous
Private
Video Texting
Chat
Email
Virtual World
Second Life,
AETZone (ASU)
Forums
Public
Facebook
Twitter
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Clip art from http://www.clker.com/

7. Best Practices: Privacy
Develop a chat privacy policy that addresses the
following concerns:
 Records: How long are session transcripts saved, and
who can access them? How long is metadata saved?
 Patrons: Are patrons required to log in to use the
service? If yes, is the log-in connected in any way to PII?
 Librarians: Should librarian data be anonymized?
 Contents: What should be done if the patron
volunteers PII?
ALA Guidelines for Developing a Library Privacy Policy:
3/19/2013 http://bit.ly/YEbrJX

8. Scheduling Staff: Rule 1
Virtual reference is still reference
• Answering questions does not take less time just because it’s
typed instead of spoken.
• Reference interviews take longer, and require more effort
from patrons, because patrons can’t just show you their
supporting documents (homework, error msg, etc.).
• Walking patrons through a process without co-browsing
takes longer, & patrons may not realize/say they’re lost.
• Good customer service means meeting patrons’ expectations
of responsiveness for their venue. The Internet is expected to
be very fast.
3/19/2013

9. Scheduling Staff: Rule 2
Two real-time reference methods which are
invisible to each other should not be staffed
simultaneously by 1 person.
Examples:
F2F patrons can’t see chat, &
so expect service now
Chat patrons can’t see F2F
ones, & expect service now
Invisible and both real-time: Asking for trouble
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10. Scheduling Staff: Rule 2
Two real-time reference methods which are
invisible to each other should not be staffed
simultaneously by 1 person.
Examples:
F2F patrons can see phone
Phone patrons can be told if
there’s people waiting
Both real-time, but not invisible: OK
3/19/2013

11. Scheduling Staff: Rule 2
Two real-time reference methods which are
invisible to each other should not be staffed
simultaneously by 1 person.
Examples:
Chat patrons can’t see email,
& expect service now
Email patrons can’t see chat, &
expect service eventually
Invisible, but not both real-time: OK
3/19/2013

12. Training & Preparation
There are a number of ways to prepare for virtual reference.
• Libraries: Prepare correct and thorough online fact sheets and
FAQ. https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/faq/ is a great example.
• Librarians who are new to the library, including
consortium members: Bookmark online fact sheets, FAQ, &
critical pages
• Librarians who are new to a given virtual environment:
Practice with the software, both as patron & librarian. Try some
past questions.
• Experienced virtual librarians: Analyze past transcripts of
other librarians – it will make you think of new resources to use.
• Everyone: Practice with e-resources, especially unfamiliar ones.
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13. Best Practices: During a chat
Best practices for F2F reference translate well to
virtual, but there are some notable additions:
 Be a person. Remember, they can’t see you - Introduce
yourself, express enthusiasm & empathy.
 Be fast. A quick “hello” is better than a slower, more
complete greeting. Store, copy, & paste common phrases.
 Find out age/grade. Remember, you can’t see them -
History is not the same in college & grade school.
 Ask for confirmation. Check after every step to make
sure they’re where you think they are.
(cont)
3/19/2013

14. Best Practices: During a chat
(cont)
 Stay in contact. Say something frequently to let them
know you’re still there. Ask if they’re still there.
 Limit your jargon. You can’t see them look blank, and
they won’t tell you they don’t understand your terms.
 Limit your time. Most sessions should be <= 20
minutes. Longer questions can be referred, or shifted to
email. Idle patrons can be ignored until they come back.
 Don’t put up with abuse. It’s very easy to try to shrug
off cussing, sexual “joking”, etc. because “it can’t be
threatening if they’re not really here.” Don’t.
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15. Best Practices: Problem patrons
Problem patrons in an online environment
tend to be more over the top than in F2F.
 Using names is a best practice, but consider
whether or not to use real names.
Note: Female names attract more harassment.
 Remember that putting up with harassment
means you or another librarian will face it again.
Correcting/banning saves trouble for everyone.
Note: Putting the window to the side and ignoring it
usually works, if banning isn’t possible.
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16. Current Usage: Session Length
Analysis of how long questions take to answer has quite similar
results for both academic and public libraries.
For both types:
Question completion time
30% 28% are done in <1 minute.
25% 52% take 3 minutes or less.
% Completed
20%
75% take 9 minutes or less.
15%
93% take 20 minutes or less.
10%
5%
0% Only 7% of questions take
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
more than 20 minutes to
Minutes
complete.
3/19/2013
Based on stats from NCknows from 08-2011 through 07-2012

17. Current Usage: Activity Patterns
Analysis of when questions arrive reveals minor differences in when
academic and public library patrons use virtual reference.
Hourly Activity Pattern Public Academic
10%
8%
6%
4%
2%
0%
8 AM – 5 PM 6 PM – 11 PM 12 AM – 7 AM
Public 67% 29% 4%
Academic 57% 33% 10%
3/19/2013
Based on stats from NCknows from 08-2011 through 07-2012

18. Virtual reference in the future…
 Video chat reference
 Mobile reference
 Split local/consortium service
3/19/2013

19. Virtual reference in the future…
 Video chat reference:
Some libraries are already experimenting with
this, and as bandwidth increases & webcams become
more common, it becomes more feasible.
Scheduled video reference sessions are more likely
than open reference in most libraries, due to the
high requirements on availability and attention.
 Mobile reference
 Split local/consortium service
3/19/2013

20. Virtual reference in the future…
 Video chat reference
 Mobile:
Virtual reference through mobile devices is already a
common practice on the patron’s end. Virtual
reference services and online resources will continue
to adapt for the mobile platform, literally providing
library access for librarians and patrons anytime, any
place.
 Split local/consortium service
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21. Virtual reference in the future…
 Video chat reference
 Mobile
 Split local/consortium service:
No external librarian will know a library’s resources
& environment as well as locals do, and few libraries
can afford to pay local librarians for 24/7 coverage.
The future is likely to bring an increase in libraries
which staff their own queues during open
hours, and contract with others to staff them after
hours.
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22. Thank you
Questions?
3/19/2013